Configuring Cisco License Call Home

The Cisco License Call Home feature provides a robust set of commands that communicate with the Cisco licensing infrastructure, makes connections and data transfers, and provides interactive prompts to help you install and maintain software licenses. This module describes the tasks and the commands used to activate software by using the Cisco License Call Home feature, license keys, and Cisco EXEC commands. When you activate software from a Cisco device, you can license software without the need for additional application software.

Finding Feature
Information

Your software release
may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest
caveats and feature information, see
Bug Search Tool and the
release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about
the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in
which each feature is supported, see the feature information table.

Use Cisco Feature
Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image
support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to
www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn.
An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Prerequisites for Cisco License Call Home

You must obtain the device certificate from the Cisco licensing infrastructure before starting.

You must have a CCO user login account.

Restrictions for Cisco License Call Home

The device must have an Internet connection and use HTTPS to connect to the Cisco licensing infrastructure. To set up a secure HTTP connection, see the HTTP 1.1 Web Server and Client chapter in the
Cisco IOS Network Management Configuration Guide.

Only certain platforms support the Cisco License Call Home feature, and these devices must be running a Cisco IOS crypto K9 image. For information about platform support, see the “Feature Information for Cisco License Call Home” section.

Information About Cisco License Call Home

Cisco License Call Home Interface

The Cisco License Call Home feature allows a Cisco device to communicate with the Cisco licensing infrastructure that provides license generation, fulfillment, and support. The Cisco License Call Home feature uses a secured Internet connection to retrieve licensing information. This feature provides a robust set of commands that makes connections, transfers data, and provides interactive prompts to help you install and maintain software licenses. Once you purchase a product authorization key (PAK), Cisco License Call Home commands enable you to easily perform these tasks:

Install or upgrade a license.

Transfer a license.

Request that a license be resent.

The figure below shows how the Cisco License Call Home feature interfaces to the Cisco licensing back-end system. The architecture shown in the figure below allows the use of the License Call Home EXEC commands to communicate with the Cisco licensing infrastructure and to perform administrative license operations.

Figure 1. Cisco License Call Home Interface

The Cisco License Call Home feature works as a client-server model with each transaction completed as a separate connection to the Cisco licensing infrastructure. The Cisco License Call Home feature displays prompts to obtain required information and then connects to the Cisco licensing back end to interact with the Cisco licensing infrastructure. A Cisco License Call Home EXEC command initiates a request, and the Cisco licensing infrastructure provides the response. The processes designed into the Cisco License Call Home architecture manage the transport of information that provides the URL required to connect to the Cisco licensing infrastructure over the Internet and to create a session.

Revokes and transfers a license by using source and target UDIs. Sends the rehost ticket to the Cisco licensing infrastructure with the target unique device identifier (UDI), converts it to a license file, and stores it in the URL specified.

Select from multiple SKUs for rehosting when you are prompted, and supply information when required.

Step 3

show license detail

Example:

Device# show license detail

Verifies that the license has been transferred.

Step 4

license installstored-location-url

(Optional) Installs the revoked license.

For details about installing and upgrading licenses, see the “Configuring the Cisco IOS Software Activation Feature” module.

Requesting a License Resend by Using Cisco License Call Home

SUMMARY STEPS

1.enable

2.license call-home resenddest-lic-location

3.license installstored-location-url

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

enable

Example:

Device> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2

license call-home resenddest-lic-location

Example:

Device# license call-home resend flash:licenseresend.lic

Obtains all licenses this device owns and stores them in the specified location.

Step 3

license installstored-location-url

(Optional) Installs the revoked license.

For details about installing and upgrading licenses, see the “Configuring the Cisco IOS Software Activation Feature” module.

Example: Installing Licenses or Upgrading Software by Using Cisco License Call Home

The following example shows how to use the
license license call-home install pak command to install a license by using the Cisco License Call Home feature. The command also displays prompts for mandatory information. The
show license feature command is used to verify the installation.

Example: Rehosting a License by Using Cisco License Call Home

The following example shows how to use the
license call-home revoke udi command to revoke and transfer a license by using source and target UDIs. The command also displays prompts for mandatory information. The
show license detail command is used to verify that the license has been transferred.

Technical Assistance

Description

Link

The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.

Feature Information for Cisco License Call Home

The following table
provides release information about the feature or features described in this
module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for
a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise,
subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform
support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go
to
.
An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Table 1 Feature Information for Cisco License Call Home

Feature Name

Releases

Feature Information

Cisco License Call Home

12.4(15)XZ

12.4(20)T

15.1(1)SG

Cisco IOS XE Release 3.3SG

The Cisco License Call Home feature provides a robust set of commands that communicate with the Cisco licensing infrastructure, makes connections and data transfers, and provides interactive prompts to help you install and maintain software licenses.